2024 Volume 77 Issue 6 Pages 415-421
Chronic obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive decline. Obesity can be attributed to hypertrophy and hyperplasia of adipocytes, as a result of a diet that is high in fat and also lack of exercise. Therefore, it can be argued that suppressing these factors would represent an effective preventive measure against obesity. On the other hand, since dysplasia of adipocytes causes modulation of hormone production balance, “qualitative control” as well as “quantitative control” of adipocytes is considered to be important for obesity prevention and health maintenance. In this study, methylxanthines, which are taste components, were examined to determine their effects on adipocytes in vitro and in vivo. This revealed the molecular mechanism by which methylxanthines regulate adipocyte characteristics. Furthermore, using affinity purification methods, we identified target proteins of methylxanthine in adipocytes. These results suggest that taste compounds might be novel food factors with anti-obesity properties.
